In Mexico, a woven textile that has long been used by women for carrying children and bundles, as well as for warmth and cover, is the focus of “The Rebozo: A Traditional Mexican Women’s Garment,” which opens in the Main Gallery at the Essex Art Center March 2. Organized by Julie Bernson and Mary Guerrero, the show looks not only at the beauty of individual rebozos but also at the symbolic and practical roles the garment has played in Mexican culture.

Two years ago, Bernson and Guerrero traveled to Patzcuaro and Oaxaca to learn more about the rebozo; they also hoped to get closer to the people and the country they were visiting. As they spoke to women about their rebozos, asking questions, listening to stories and memories, and taking photographs, they came to appreciate the layers of spiritual and cultural meaning embodied in this familiar garment. This exhibition comprises their photographs and audio and video interviews along with a variety of woven rebozos.

Tory Fair is known for drawings and sculpture that examine space and relationships through the vocabulary of sports. Using floor markings familiar from the basketball court or the soccer pitch to delineate the space between pieces of furniture, or between wall and floor, Fair makes manifest the idea that space — especially the space between things — is competitive, often informed by strategy and gamesmanship. In a new series of work, she addresses what she calls “a competitive tension between flowers,” bringing nature squarely into the mix in “Ready, Set, Bloom,” which also opens at the Essex Art Center March 2. The roots of her flowers reach into contested ground, belying their cheerful petals.

Two interesting sculptors are coming to town to shed light on their art. Rachel Harrison, whose winning way with mixing it up — minimalist structures and supermarket displays, IKEA tables and houseplants, bear fur and found photos — has continued to fascinate and provoke comment at least since her 2002 appearance in the Whitney Biennial, will talk about her work with art historian and critic Johanna Burton at MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies on March 7 at 7 pm. And Dario Robleto, whose art draws heavily on the shared cultural past that we know (and love) as pop culture, especially pop music, speaks at the Museum of Fine Arts February 27 at 12:30 pm.

Your history For a building, inclusion on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered list is a mixed blessing.

Tempo tantrum In 2008, the fourth dimension, time, steps to the fore in the art world.

Line up Katy Fischer's art points to the darker forces in nature, where clouds threaten rain and rivers carry people off.

I will survive “There is no such thing in civilized society as self-support,” claims a handwritten, hand-held, Dylan-esque cardboard sign.

The right profile Contemporary African-American artists have taken on issues of race and American identity in a wealth of ways, from Kara Walker’s provocative silhouette narratives to Fred Wilson’s discomforting black "collectibles" to William Pope L’s agonizing acts of crawling.

Cutting up Pure geometric forms, including the sphere, the circle, and the cylinder, are interrelated in classic Bauhaus style in the iconic teapots, bowls, and ashtrays that Marianne Brandt designed in the 1920s in Germany and later in France.

Around the edges Focus and framing, two devices that help us zoom in on what we are interested in looking at, and to filter out what we would rather not see, are critical tools not only for artists but for humans in general, as we make our way through a visually complex world.

Time after time The DeCordova Annual has been going strong since 1989, indefatigably showcasing work by New England artists chosen each year for the quality of their individual work.

Les jours de gloire “Symbols of Power: Napoleon and the Art of the Empire Style, 1800–1815” looks at the Napoleonic riddle in the mirror of its art.

Voice of regeneration Havens, who comes to the MFA this Sunday, has been following his muse since he was a child.

Wandering star Cleaning the kitchen of her Brooklyn apartment a few weeks ago — shortly before hitting the road in support of her fourth full-length, The Living and the Dead (Anti-) — singer-songwriter Jolie Holland was struck by an idea for her fifth album.

THE NATURE OF THE BEAST | September 10, 2008 In the world of graphic novelist Kevin Hooyman, whose show opens at Proof Gallery on September 13, packed line drawings take you deep into strange and fantastical scenes.

I AM I SAID | September 03, 2008 Tufts University Art Gallery presents “Empire And Its Discontents,” which opens September 15 with work by 11 artists tied to previously colonized regions in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.